Class Placement 2025-26
This is the time of year when we begin the process of creating class lists for the upcoming school year.
The following parameters will guide class placement:
- All classes at all grade levels will have children representing a broad range of academic abilities, needs, and backgrounds.
- Class placement will be made based upon the development of the whole child --academically, socially and behaviorally.
- Class lists are carefully constructed by current grade-level teachers and staff who work with each student, with final decisions determined by the building Principal. We take class list determination very seriously, weighing the needs of each child and striving to build balanced, productive, supportive classes. A great deal of time, thought, and consideration goes into the creation of class lists, as this is a critical element to a thriving school experience for all.
Knowing that our staff work arduously to build thriving classes, if you wish to share insight for your child’s specific needs, this is the time to do so.
Parents who wish to make a statement to describe their child’s academic, social, and/or behavioral needs may do so in writing via email (rcorrough@d101.org). These comments, focused on your child’s learning style and specific academic/social needs, will then be given consideration as a part of the process.
We cannot accept any requests or avoidances for specific teachers; with only two sections per grade level, parent input can not limit the child’s placement to a single option and thus are not able to request or choose their child's teacher. Please note that any request for or against a specific teacher will NOT be included in the class placement process.
Please email me with any specific input NO LATER THAN Friday, April 25, for your input to be considered in our placement process. Thank you!
5Essentials Survey Window Open
I'm putting this one back at the top of everyone's radar, as it is important. Your perception of Forest Hills is valuable and I'd really appreciate it if you could take just a few minutes to share your perspective. If we have 20% of parents take the survey, the information is included on our State Report Card. If we don't have enough people participate, it isn't included and our results could be skewed. I do hope you take advantage of this opportunity to provide us with this meaningful feedback. Currently, we're only at 7% of parent responses, so please do consider taking the time to complete the survey.
Beginning now, students in grades four through twelve, as well as all teachers across Illinois, will be taking the 5Essentials Survey. As required by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), this survey is designed and administered by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of each school across our state.
The survey gathers data related to five indicators that are correlated with important student outcomes. These five indicators are Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environments, and Ambitious Instruction.
This survey is designed to gather parental thoughts on the same important factors noted above and the impact they have had on school effectiveness at your child’s school.
The Parent Survey is currently available until March 28, and can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Travel: Requests For Work
With Spring Break on the horizon, it seems like the right time to communicate expectations around requests for missed work, due to travel or planned absences. Teachers are happy to set aside missed work and can provide it to students upon their return. Lesson planning is a fluid process and is responsive to student needs, therefore, assignments may not be solidified well in advance. (Depending upon the grade level, students may access some assignments via Google Classroom while they're out.) Please hold on requests for work in advance, have students enjoy their break and plan on having them spend a little extra time on school upon their return.
March Student Ownership Attribute–Critical Thinker/Problem-Solver
This month, our Student Ownership Attribute is Critical Thinker/Problem-Solver. We want to encourage students to embrace challenges, think deeply about situations and empower them to solve problems they encounter. These could be experiences both inside and outside of the classroom and school setting.
Our D101 definition of Critical Thinker/Problem-Solver is: Able to focus on a problem, identify its root, generate reasonable alternatives, & determine a path towards the best possible solution.
Some of the components we discussed at the various grade levels were:
What do you do when you when your first idea/solution doesn’t work?
Iteration is an important part of life and learning
Having a growth mindset helps us embrace challenges and become great problem-solvers
Looking at a situation differently than others can be a really good thing!
We’ve discussed these talking points in connection with the following grade level texts:
Kindergarten: Can I Play Too?, by Mo Willems
1st Grade: Solutions for Cold Feet, by Carey Sookocheff
2nd Grade: Going Places, by Peter and Paul Reynolds
3rd Grade: The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires
4th Grade: What Do You Do With A Problem?, by Kobi Yamada
5th Grade: Mr. Ferris and His Wheel, by Kathryn Gibbs Davis
Although this is our collective focus for the month of March, we always look for ways to practice being great Critical Thinkers and Problem-Solvers in our lives.
Notes of Appreciation
Did you know that practicing gratitude can not only positively impact the recipient of your kind words, but also help YOU feel better and live longer?!?! It's true!
In that spirit, I encourage you to take the time to click HERE to share a short message of gratitude to a Forest Hills staff member (or members, if you're feeling really ambitious!). I have the great fortune of seeing how hard everyone works behind the scenes and the care and concern that everyone here shows for our kids everyday. Hopefully, your kiddos feel that love and support and you do too!
I'll also always have a link to the form in my email signature for ease of access and the opportunity to send a kind note whenever the mood strikes. Thanks in advance for taking the time to brighten someone's day!
IMPORTANT: Updated D101 Elementary Handbook
This summer, the administrative team spent considerable time updating the Elementary School Handbook. Please do spend some time reviewing some of the important information regarding attendance, academics, behavior/discipline, technology, etc. The handbook can be found via the link above or as a PDF below.
D101 Calendars: 24-25 & 25-26 School Years
2024-25 calendar HERE (subscribable Google Calendars) attached below.
2025-26 calendar HERE
Rachel Corrough
Email: rcorrough@d101.org
Website: www.d101.org
Location: 5020 Central Avenue, Western Springs, IL, USA
Phone: (708)485-5184
Twitter: @corrough
